


Anomalous

by LunaNocis



Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Military, Angst, Angsty will be on the rise, Day6 appears too!, M/M, My First Work in This Fandom, Still haven't decided pairing, but i couldn't chose one, hyukie and ken dont appear much (yet), i have the pairing almost decided, i think i fixed the age mistake!, idk what to tag, made a mistake with neo ages, not too much tho, sorry - Freeform, there arent all those ships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 08:10:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11551092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaNocis/pseuds/LunaNocis
Summary: Even the rats and other filthy creatures stayed away from that room. And who could blame them? He also, if he could, would stray away from himself.Anomalous: A genetic mutation that affects around 0.0001% of the human race. Presents caracteristics like stronger immune systems, enhanced senses and extencion of the lifespan.





	1. Part 1: The Prisoner and the Mission

**Author's Note:**

> So, this might be one hell of a mess for a first Vixx fic, but I tried my best! i hope you'll have at least a good time, even though it's a bit angsty. More will hopefully be posted soon. Please enjoy <3

The room was completely dark but, even so, he knew it was empty. No one, nothing was there. Like it should be. Even the rats and other filthy creatures stayed away from that room. And who could blame them? He also, if he could, would stray away from himself. Everything he was. Everything he did.

Steps resounded at the other side of the door. However, he did not move. Whoever it was, they would walk away soon. It had been long since he had last had another being’s company; even the feeling of the sun in his skin was long forgotten. Outside, the steps stopped. In front of his door. He closed his eyes; was he so desperate to have company, that his mind was playing tricks on him? He was not. He deserved to be there, forgotten from the world, and that’s what would happen. They would make sure it was like that.

The screeching whines of old steel gears brought back to life had him opening one eye. He still did not move. This wasn’t happening. _Couldn’t_ happen. But right in front of his eyes, the old door of his prison moved, not without difficulty, to let in a stranger.

“You” he said, his voice velvety and soft, “are you the criminal known as Ravi?” he said nothing, his own voice and throat dry and rotten from years of silent penitence. The young man didn’t seem to expect an answer, as he continued speaking. “I came to take you. We need your help.”

~·~·~

Ravi’s knees shook slightly as he steeped for the first time on the outside of the cell. This could be nothing but a dream. A nightmare. The guards holding his arms, surrounding him as the young officer led the way to the outside world he could barely remember and would never forget at the same time; the dust and spider webs proving just how long had this place been abandoned; everything seemed surreal to his eyes, used to the dark, empty, lonely confine of the walls of his cell, his room.

The first impression of the outside was that it was too bright. Only a few torches, barely enough for the man’s eyes, but he’d been so long depraved of light that even a spark could burn his eyes. His first instinct was, obviously, to protect the sensitive organs, go back to the comforting darkness. His hands, as well as his feet, had been tied up with strong chains but they could not stop him. Neither could the guards.

Suddenly, his head was covered with a heavy (but somewhat soft) fabric, and he could not see the blinding lights anymore. “Continue”, the young officer, whose name Ravi still didn’t know, said. And he followed the guards’ now rougher pull because, anyway, it all was still just a dream.

~·~·~

If going out of the cell had been, to put it simply, uncomfortable (even more considering the state of his body), walking out of the prison, the very building he never thought, never wanted to leave, was horrible. There was only so much the cloth could do, after all, to cover the sunlight that was bathing the living world. Once again, Ravi struggled in the guards’ grip. He didn’t want this; he wanted to go back inside, he-

A slightly strong pull and suddenly, the hands retaining him were gone. _Finall_ y. He took a step back, back to the safe, comfort, familiar… But right then his legs, unused to the heavy weight of carrying his body, gave in under him. He fell rather ungracefully to the floor, the cloth slipping from over him at the same time. And there was the sun, merciless, his eyes burning yet again.

Everything happened so fast. Right as he was falling, before his own hands reached his face, he was there. The officer’s hand covered his eyes as the other grabbed the cloth and put it over him back again. They were kind of soft, his hands; it was nothing, but somehow comforted Ravi. A young soldier with rough hands and scars would’ve meant times of war. The boy spoke into his ear, softly, his hand still hovering over his eyes. “We’re almost there; please hang on a little longer”.

It surprised Ravi a little that he would address him in such a soft, almost reassuring tone; but even more, that he used a formal speech.

~·~·~

Ravi was dragged around for what seemed like ages; he tried to ask his “escort” what was going on, but no understandable words came out of his throat. He resolved to just wait and see where they brought him.

In the end, they reached their destination. He was led into a room, sat on a chair and left alone. The officer had left a while ago, probably to fetch whoever was responsible of disturbing him. He briefly wondered who might that be; it was unlikely that many people knew about him, much less young recruits like the boy who took him there. It didn’t matter though. Whoever that was, whatever had happened, it was none off his business. Not anymore.

However, he did not expect to hear _that_ voice when the door opened. Out of every person he ever met though, it was to expect that he would remember.

“Why is he covered like that?” “The light hurt his eyes, Sir.” “I see”.

The cloth was removed in a swift movement, and he hissed, covering his eyes with his hands. It wasn’t as bad as before though, and Ravi dared lift his eyes a bit to look around. His eyes wandered briefly to the young man who was putting back his uniform’s jacket. So that’s what he used to cover his eyes… However, his attention immediately went to the new face. A face, and a voice, that he still recognized, though.

“L-Leo…” he managed to mutter. The man seemed to smile at him; but, that couldn’t be, right? “Do you still remember me?” _How could I not._

~·~·~

“Thank you, captain Cha… You may leave now”.

The boy nodded curtly and left. Ravi rose an eyebrow.

Leo seemed to want to pretend he hadn’t noticed it, but started, “Don’t-”. In the end, he just sighed and straightened his back, putting back his usual poker face; “business face”, he used to call it.

“As captain Cha might have mentioned… I brought you here because we need your help. Don’t look at me like that; I wouldn’t have done it otherwise”. He could perceive some under tone when he said that. It was true, though; out of everyone, it was also Leo the one who always understood him, better that anyone… Almost anyone. “Then, what’s the-”

Suddenly, his voice cracked and he had a coughing fit. His throat was dry and hurt. The other man got up; he couldn’t see what he was doing but, sometime after, he had a glass of water pressed to his lips. Fresh, clean water. He downed it in one go, a thirst he didn’t even know he had suddenly sated… Partially, at least.

“Slowly…” Leo took the glass from him and filled it again. He didn’t quite listen. The other man didn’t seem to mind. After some time, the jar of water now empty, Ravi tried again. “So, what’s the big emergency?” The other didn’t seem quite relieved, the worried expression never leaving his face completely as he continued speaking.

“Colonel Kwon has gone missing”.

~·~·~

“It happened two days ago. There was a reunion in the headquarters, were all the commands from the special operations force were to meet with the central forces… After that meeting, a schedule of visits through all the bases was set up. The first one was at Colonel Choi’s base, but our commander was missing the next morning. Nobody can explain what happened…”

 “I fail to see how’s that related to me at all.”

Leo sighed; Ravi had always been quite… Restless, and it seemed like all this time had done nothing to tune him down. Despite his worrisome external appearance, his attitude was still the same. He felt a wave of relief wash over him.

~·~·~

“I… cannot tell you that, yet.”

Ravi stared at him, incredulous, “Why?” Leo deviated his gaze, guilt creeping up his spine. “Look at me.” Ravi was staring right into his eyes. That intense stare that reached into his very soul… He’d missed it. Once the man had lifted his eyes to meet his, Ravi continued speaking with ragged voice. “You know that I trust you… With my eyes closed. But this…”

“I’m sorry… I will explain” he said, “later.”

~·~·~

Later that day, Leo was standing outside the room were Ravi was resting. They had given him food, clothes… All in the strictest confidentiality. Nobody should find out that he had taken him out of prison. Even if his existence had been forgotten by most, the higher ranks who had met him in the past would remember. He could not risk them sending him back to prison… Or something even worse.

A part of him, though, wondered if he’d done the right thing. After all, wouldn’t his long lost friend been better not knowing about this…

“Is he… Alright?” Leo was so preoccupied with his thoughts, that he hadn’t noticed the man approaching him. “Hakyeon, what are you doing still up?” The boy didn’t respond right away; his eyes wandered to the door, and back at him. The older man could almost see the doubts and worries floating in his dark irises. “This man… Ravi. I-” he hesitated, “I looked into the data base, but…I couldn’t find anything about him. Even the building he was in had been declared unsafe and closed up long time ago... What’s going on, sir?”

“You don’t need to address me so formally now; you know? It makes me feel weird” he patted the boy’s shoulder, friendly; _he can’t help but worry, right?_ “You’re right; there are a lot of things I haven’t been able to tell you. I don’t think it’s my place to talk about his personal life… But” he gestured towards the exit, “if you come with me, I’ll try to solve some of your worries. Do you trust me, Hakyeon?” “Absolutely… Taekwoon.”

~·~·~

A day later, Ravi found himself seated in a small room, alongside the young officer, and two other people, a young, purple haired, over excited looking boy and an expressionless, orangette girl, he didn’t know. A few minutes later, Leo entered the room. The three soldiers stood up to greet him; he didn’t. That was something he definitely did not miss, military discipline, and he knew he could allow himself this little pleasure with Leo. Effectively, the other male didn’t bat an eyelash.

“I have called you all here because I have a mission for you. As you might have heard, Colonel Kwon disappeared the other day during the reunion with the high ranks.” At that, the boy Ravi didn’t know raised his hand. “Sir, I thought a team was already appointed to work on it?” “That is correct” the other man confirmed, “and that’s why the information I’m about to disclose to you must be kept secret under all circumstances, understood?” Everyone nodded at once, “Yes, sir!”

Ravi wondered what info was his old friend going to tell them that had to be kept secret like this. He shoved whatever shadow of doubt aside right away, though. Leo was, ever since they’d met, a good person at heart, and a loyal soldier. There was nothing to worry about.

~·~·~

_“As you may know, after the reunion with the heads of the military, a series of visits through all the Special Operations bases was scheduled; however, this Wednesday at 8:00 a.m., our command, Colonel Kwon was reported to have disappeared from his room. He couldn’t be found anywhere within the headquarters. One of the members of the colonel’s escort, agent Ken, was reported to be missing as well.”_

_“We have landed on some information that suggest that the agent, and probably the colonel as well, were taken to the south. It will be your duty to follow that route and find they whereabouts. It is of utmost importance that you carry this mission as discreetly as possible. You will only receive orders from me regarding this matter.”_

_“Another agent will be joining your team tomorrow; after that you will leave. That’s all for now.”_

~·~·~

It was lunch time. Hakyeon had wanted for them to eat together; his premise was that getting to know and bond with your teammates was the key for the mission’s success. Communication. That had presented, right away, a tiny problem: for obvious reasons, Ravi couldn’t just go and enter the canteen. Major Jung had been very adamant on letting the least people possible know about him. Another problem: the rest of the team couldn’t know about that, either.

He let his eyes travel to his team as they exited the room. His gaze strayed to the tallest of them. Ravi. He couldn’t believe that, not so long ago, he had had to be practically dragged around because he couldn’t even stand by himself. 48 hours later, there he was, looking all fresh, as if nothing had happened to him. He was still alarmingly thin, though.

“…that okay, captain?” “Oh, um… Sorry, what did you say?” “We were wondering if it would be okay to eat lunch outside? It’s such a nice day…”

Hakyeon couldn’t believe his luck. “Okay, sure. I will go get the food; you guys find some nice place to eat”.

~·~·~

“Should we introduce ourselves then?” The younger boy asked once everyone was seated with their food in front of them. Everyone agreed. “My name is V, and I have been working in this base for four years.” V flashed them a toothy grin.

Ravi couldn’t say he was surprised. It was to expect that they would include at least another one of them in a mission like this. He looked quite young, but he knew better than to question Leo’s judgement. “My speciality” the boy continued, “is hand to hand combat, with blade weapons.”

After a moment, the girl cleared her throat. Her expression had been stony all the time, and it didn’t change as she spoke. “My name is Rosé. I’ve been training in this base for three years. I have a degree in Military science; I’m an explosive expert.” “You deactivate bombs and stuff?! Cool!” V said enthusiastically. She did not share it. “I _make_ bombs. But I guess I could deactivate them too…”

 _Another code name…?_ Despite his previous thoughts, Ravi felt a tiny bit of doubt setting on his stomach.

Next was the captain, “I’m captain Cha Hakyeon. My code name during missions is N…” He looked around. “Well, won’t you introduce yourself?” He was, obviously, talking to Ravi. Everyone’s eyes were on him; he swallowed an imaginary lump in his throat.  “I’m- Um, my name’s Ravi.”

Silence. All three pairs of eyes were still fixed on him, but he didn’t know what else to say. Hakyeon came at his rescue; or so he thought. “What’s your field?” “My field…? I’m a… Fighter…?” he looked at Hakyeon. He nodded. “You mean, a martial art-” “Which disciplines do you practice?” V interrupted. He sounded so excited, and genuinely interested. Ravi counted mentally, “Boxing, karate, judo-” “Me too! And jujutsu, aikido…”

As the purple haired kid continued to explain and comment on the different styles he’s tried, the trainings, with the captain looking at him fondly and Rosé just eating quietly (though her eyes stealing a glance at him every now and then showed she was actually listening), Ravi felt a feeling he’d had long forgotten wash over him, he shook his head. _Don’t. you don’t have this right._

“Captain” the girl said when she was done eating, “what’s your fighting style?” Said man smiled mysteriously, “I have many talents…”

~·~·~

Leo found Ravi sitting outside the main building, staring blankly at the empty training grounds. He sat next to him quietly. “So…” the other started, “why didn’t you tell me?” His voice sounded calm, but the other knew better. “I…” Ravi interrupted him, “Yeah, I know.” “I’m sorry.” A sigh. “Don’t… Is- I mean… How was he after…” He could feel the other’s mood dropping even without looking. “Won-”

“Ravi-hyung!” V appeared running, seemingly out of nowhere, Rosé in tow. When the boy noticed Leo sitting next him, he halted and saluted, grin still plastered to his face “Sir!” “What happens, V?” asked his teammate. “We’re going to spar so we wanted to ask if you’ll come, please?” The girl, albeit quietly, was staring at him expectantly, too. “I, um well, right now-” “We’ll be in the training rooms of the northern building, number 3! Please come!” The boy skittered away, dragging Rosé with him.

“That boy… does he ever listen-” “Go.” Leo cut Ravi’s grumbling with a serious look. “But-” “No buts- just go.” His eyes were unwavering, and the other man sighed. “Fine. But this isn’t over.” _Will it ever end?_

~·~·~

_Anomalous. That’s what they called them. A tiny, very small percentage of humanity that was… more than human. Their senses, and resistance, were increased; their immune systems were stronger and their bodies healed faster…_

_But the biggest difference was, perhaps, their lifespan. No one knew what caused this, but their lives were significantly longer than that of the average human. No one knew exactly how much, though. It was believed that their bodies developed slower than other kids’. It was harder to notice when they were young, but they didn’t age at the same speed as the rest. And that’s how they found them._

_However, there was also a hindrance to this “anomaly”: substances like alcohol, caffeine, drugs… that affected the nervous system had, for some reason, stronger effects on them, resulting in chaotic, endangering behaviours when tested. The average sleeping pill, that can have anyone sleeping like a baby for 6-8 hours, could knock out an anomalous for 12-15 hours and even become life-threatening._

_That’s how most of this kids ended up in government’s institutions, with special education that, in many cases, brought them to military careers. It wasn’t like they were forced to do so, but it was greatly encouraged. All that, in first-world, wealthy countries._

_There were five Special Operations bases scattered all through South Korea, where these kids were assigned after their basic education finished at age sixteen… Counting in humans’ years. There was no difference in intelligence though; scientists discussed whether it was only their bodies that worked differently than regular humans’, or they didn’t, but were intellectually superior._

Hakyeon watched as V aimed a roundhouse kick at Ravi, which he deflected without blinking. Rosé watched them from the side between page and page of the book she was reading; it was getting late and that was like the tenth time the younger boy asked for “one more time”, and the girl had apparently given up on her turn to spar with the newbie. Maybe, after this round, he’d go over and ask her to spar with him; after all, it was his first time working with her. It’d be good to assess her skills and… to be honest, he just wanted to chat.

Hakyeon wondered what was going on with him. This promotion... He was glad he got it, but it was putting a huge amount of pressure on him. Because Taekwoon trusted him. Sure, it was the higher ups, the colonel, who decided this, but he knew the older man had to have put a word for him. Because out of everyone, more talented, more skilled, better… He’d been chosen. Now, Hakyeon had to be better, more skilled, more talented… He would not let him down. He would be the better version of himself he could be.

But he missed his more easy-going, chatty self. So he decided to go over and make some small talk with his new subordinate. Even if it was a special mission, a one-time thing, sitting alone being eaten by his thoughts was not something Cha Hakyeon would do.

At that precise moment, he got a call. “Hakyeon, it’s me. We’ve got a problem; you and your team will have to leave now.”

~·~·~

Hakyeon started the van’s engine as the other team members got inside. “Where are we heading?” asked Ravi, sitting next to him. “Our last member was coming back from a mission this morning, but they were trapped by the enemy at the outskirts of Ansan. We’re going to… Pick him up.” “Him? So, you know who he is?” V asked. “I’ve worked with him before… His name’s Bean.”

_-·-·-Meanwhile-·-·-_

_His legs were shaking so much as he walked into the dark room, that he wondered how could he still be standing. His heart was racing inside his chest and his breath came out ragged as if he’d been running a marathon. He couldn’t take it any longer... “Mast-” suddenly, his knees were kicked from behind, making him fall; at the same time, his head was yanked back by his hair._

_He panted, his pulse raising impossibly fast as the other spoke into his ear. “So you made it, after all…” the boy nodded desperately, “Yes, yes, I- exactly like you told me- everything. Please Master I-” His head was thrown forwards and he bent down, unable to stand up right. He felt lightheaded, and was drenched in cold sweat. “You want your prize, right…?” The boy shook his head heavily, his arms giving in under him until he was lying on the floor, shaking and sobbing uncontrollably. He was going to die… He couldn’t- “Well, okay… There you go.”  A small bottle was thrown at him, and as he tried to open it, he could hear the other laughing. But it didn’t matter; he couldn’t die. Not yet._


	2. Rescue and First Clue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm here again! I can't believe I managed to get this finished so fast! (I had about 1/3 already done, but still). Please ejoy this as much as the first part and excuse any mistake, because English isn't my first language. <3

_“They’re getting to your position. Hang on.”_

_That’s easy to say,_ he thought as he loaded the last cartridge on his gun. He had no idea where the rest of his team was, or if they were even alive. He’d run out of ammo, his leg hurt like a bitch and it was a matter of time until those bastards found him. _You better hurry, Captain._

The boy took a peek around the wall he was hiding behind. They got lucky this area was currently under construction and there were no civilians. He pressed his hand to his pocket; the USB was still there. He needed to deliver that as soon as possible… The way was clear. If he could only reach the place where had separate from his comrades, see if anyone was left… He tried standing up, but the sharp bang of pain on his ankle made him reconsider.

He let himself fall back; his only option was to stay hidden until someone came for him. Hopefully, their attackers wouldn’t find him first. He hadn’t heard a single gunshot, or any other noise, in a while. He didn’t know if he should be happy about it.

His pants left leg was soaked in blood. He had to stop the bleeding somehow, but there weren’t any medical supplies he could use. All he had in his backpack was his computer. _Fuck._ He searched through all his stuff for something helpful. The boy had almost given up when he found something in his pants’ pocket; a small roll of bandages. Right away, he could almost hear Captain Im’s voice: _“Take one of those; you never know…”._ He’d thought it was useless; after all, he wasn’t going to be at the front like the others. He felt a wave of gratitude towards that man he barely knew, but had just saved his life. He’d have to repay him when they met again… _If you do._

He rolled the piece of cloth as much as he could. It didn’t look good, but he had nothing to clean his wound. He started covering it carefully with the clean bandage, praying that it wouldn’t get infected. He had another mission to complete before going back to the base. He could not afford this.

Minutes passed by quietly while waiting. He couldn’t communicate with anyone since he’d lost his earpiece during the fight earlier. All he could do was hope. That his teammates were safe.  That their back up would come fast. That he wouldn’t die from blood loss before that happened… He didn’t feel that lucky to get everything.

The sound of steps broke the silence. The boy payed attention; those steps weren’t careful, therefore, the person wasn’t trying to go unnoticed. If it were his teammates, or the backup, they’d be careful not to be seen by the enemy, right? _Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fu-_

His train of thoughts was stopped as another set of steps appeared. He couldn’t see clearly from his position, but he heard it. Steps backing up in surprise at the sudden appearance. A warning cry, immediately cut off. And suddenly, it was over. The newcomer continued walking a few steps, stopped and… “Agent Bean, right?” He hesitated, “Who are you?” A tall figure hovered over him from behind the wall. A black haired boy, around his age. “Ravi” he said, “and… Well, I’ll tell you later, we need to go”.

~·~·~

“I don’t think I can…” Ravi turned around to face the struggling boy trying to stand on one feet, the pain evident in his eyes. The bandage on his left ankle was bloody. “If you could- hey!” “We’ve got no time, sorry.” He put one arm on his back and the other under his legs, careful not to touch the wound. “What- let me down!” “Stay still” he reassured, “we’ll be with the others soon.” “Where is… The rest of my team?” Bean gripped at his uniform, his eyes turned to the floor. “They’re looking for them… Don’t-” Ravi almost, almost told him not to worry but, honestly…

A fight started somewhere to their right. Gunshots. People shouting. But Ravi continued towards the van; the boy needed treatment. _They’ll be fine._

Thankfully, they made it to the cars without any incident; the fight that was still going on had apparently gotten the attention of all the enemies. He sat the him in the van and proceeded to search for their medic supplies. He could feel the boy’s eyes burying a hole in his back, but when he turned around the other was no longer staring. “Shouldn’t you go help them? I can do this myself…” “Let me see that.” Ravi started unwarping the bandages carefully. “They can manage… That’s good.” He sighed, relieved. “What is?” “The bullet doesn’t seem to be stuck in… I wouldn’t be able to take care of that. And it’s not too deep… You should be fine.”

The sound of the fight got closer and, as Ravi finished treating Bean’s leg, the rest of the team appeared. He immediately spotted V and Rosé covering the retreat of the group he guessed were Bean’s teammates. Two of them were carrying another that seemed to be unconscious; another was applying pressure on his arm. But, overall, they were fine. The only question was: Where did their captain go?

~·~·~

One of the members from the other team that wasn’t as battled came up to them immediately. “Bean! The data…” Said boy seemed not to hear him, his eyes still fixed on the unconscious man. The other shook him by the shoulders, “Hey! Don’t worry about us, okay?” he smiled softly, “We’ll be fine. But we need the data you collected. Where is it?” Bean pulled a small device form one of his pockets. “J-Jackson-hyung…” the boy’s eyes widened a bit in surprise, but he smiled at Bean and ruffled his hair. “Well done.” After nodding to Ravi in acknowledgement, he ran towards his comrades on the other car.

Their team was almost complete, too. The kids were standing next to the van; V was tending at a scratch on the back of his hand while Rosé stared at the route where they came from. “Where’s Captain?” V shrugged, but Rosé said “He said he’d buy us time to scape.” A moment later, the captain finally appeared, his clothes bloody but looking fine. He ran up to them and said “Who’s ready to get the hell out of here?”

~·~·~

As the sun rose, the car pulled a stop. Hongbin, as the last member of their group had introduced himself, had been dozing on and off for a while after falling asleep; N took a look at him through the rear-view and said to let him rest. V and Rosé were sleeping one on top of the other, breathing softly.

 It’d been a couple of hours since Ravi had managed to convince N to let him drive and sleep; the captain had bumped his head against the window a couple of times, but he didn’t even flinch. He stopped in front of a crusty building; a safe house, maybe?

He nudged the leader’s side to wake him up and got down to get the others. V was rubbing his eyes and yawning; as he got up, Rosé’s head slipped from his shoulder. She woke up with a start, her eyes wide. “Sor-” The girl slapped his hand away with a startled expression. Immediately after, she seemed to take in her surroundings, and her head fell forwards, her bangs hiding her expression, “Sorry.”

He found N’s equally confused gaze, but he shrugged. “We’ll go check inside… Help Bean, we need to take a better look at that leg of his.” “Okay.” Ravi stared at the sleeping guy. Should he try and lift him up like before? He’d have to take him out without bumping his head (and his leg) on anything though… seemed hard. But- “Did we… stop?” Bean blinked sleepily at him. “Yeah. Can you get up?” “Of course, I-” he winced when his leg brushed against the seat. “I can. Sure.”

He allowed Ravi, however, to help him out. The bandages where covered in blood now, because they hadn’t had time to stitch the wound properly, and the boy’s face looked pale under the sun’s early light. With the other’s help, he started limping towards the entrance of the building. He didn’t make a single noise, but Ravi could see his face contorting in pain every time his foot brushed the floor.

~·~·~

“Whoa, so this is a safe house?!” V exclaimed. The place was practically empty; a mattress on the floor at the other side of the room, a small kitchen (just the stove and a couple of cupboards) and a door that probably led to a small bathroom. That was all. “Kinda. Major Jung gave me the keys.”

N kneeled in front of one cupboard and started reached into it, pulling a first-aid kit from it. Next, he took a small pot from the other cupboard, and some clean rags. “Put Bean on the bed.” Ravi did as instructed, laying him down as carefully as he could. Hongbin had been getting paler and paler as the time went by. For the second time in a few hours, the bandages were removed. It didn’t look any better that before. “It’s not infected” announced Hakyeon after cleaning all the blood the best he could. Everyone seemed to relax at once; even Ravi, though he had stated the same in his previous inspection and even cleaned the wound a bit. “You’ll need some stitches though” the captain looked seriously at the younger boy, “It’s going to hurt.” His eyes were meet with equal seriousness, “Let’s get it over with, then.”

~·~·~

The first-aid kit wasn’t that big, but it surely had a little of everything. Whoever prepared those needed a rise. Their captain wasn’t a medic, but he assured Bean he could sew him up perfectly. It took him a little to get everything ready because his hands were shaking a little. His confident smile didn’t drop one bit though, maybe an attempt to inspire trustworthiness and a sense of safety onto his patient. Said patient, however, was too committed to trying to hide how scared and in pain he was to notice it.

The “operation” went well. Hongbin had almost (but not quite) cried, at first. His hand had closed around the first thing he could grab onto; and that had happened to be Ravi’s forearm. He felt the boy’s nails bite into his skin as Hakyeon’s surprisingly skilful hands stitched him back up. By the end, his eyes were all teary, and both he and the leader looked exhausted. By that time, they had also noticed something was strangely quiet. Something was… Missing.

“The dinner-fast it’s done!” V barged into the tiny group holding plates filled with… White rice? And meat? “Was all this here?” Hakyeon inquired. “Yeah.” Rosé sat next to him, holding a bottle of water. “Eat well.”

~·~·~

“Everyone” said the captain as he got up, his plate empty, “You should rest for a few hours; I need to go make some research.” “You need rest too…” Ravi started, “Captain. Can’t we go instead?” “I’m going to contact some old informants; it shouldn’t take long… And someone has to take care of Bean.” Several voices raised at once. N looked at each of them in the eyes as he continued. “Stay. I will come back in three hours at most.”

He grabbed his stuff and left. _Too friendly._

~·~·~

The bar wasn’t quite big, barely enough to fit six tables and a 2x2 in a corner. Atop of it, a tall and lanky guy with blonde hair was pulsing his guitar’s chords softly, tuning it. He sat on the closest empty booth and waited.  Soon enough, a light-brown haired boy wearing a dirty apron approached him. “Captain Cha Hakyeon…” “Nice to see you too” he responded, reading the label on the younger’s t-shirt, “Brian.” The boy groaned and sat in front of him. “Not you too, hyung…” “You don’t like it?” the obvious mirth in his eyes only made the other sink further into his seat. “Did you come all this way just to make fun of me…?” “Actually, I have something to ask of you…”

He resumed the situation as much as he could. “… That last thing we know, his signal got lost here… You guys know this city better than anyone; if you heard something, that could be a huge help. Please.” “I don´t know anything but…” Brian responded. “Wait a moment.” He got up and went to the bar; Hakyeon could recognize Sungjin at the other side, cleaning a glass with a rag (such a cliché…). They exchanged some words, and the leader could feel their eyes looking at him. And not only theirs; one of the few clients, a young girl, was looking at him too. She looked positively young. _Oh my God._

Brian came back. “Sungjin-hyung said that he’ll have Dowoon or Wonpil contact you as soon as possible. They’re out on a mission now; we’ll see what can they find.” Hakyeon went to get up, but the other guy continued. “Ken… Is he in trouble?” The captain considered his options. “I hope not.”

~·~·~

He wasn’t sure it was gonna work, but pressed the button anyway. “Leo…?” He held his breath. One moment went by. Then another. _He’s not answering. Be patient; maybe he didn’t hear?_ “Leo… hyung?” Silence. Then he spoke. “Ravi? What happened?” _See? There he is._ “Um, no… well, Hong- I mean Bean, he was hurt in the battle earlier.” “What?” “Oh, but he’s fine; well, he will be… The team-” “It’s been a long time.”

It took Ravi a second to process his words. “What do you mean?” “It’s been a long time since you called me hyung.” “…That’s true.” Silence settled itself comfortably between them and, when Leo decided to speak again, Ravi knew what he was going to say before he did. “Are you okay?” “Sure I am. It’s nice to feel the sun…” “…” “…and things have changed a lot out here…” “…” “Hyung…” “Continue.” Leo wasn’t always the best at expressing himself through words, but Ravi could always hear the things he didn’t say. _I missed this. I missed you._ “I missed you, too.”

~·~·~

Hongbin was waking up from his slumber for around the fourth time when their captain came back.

Ravi had spent most of the time outside doing who knew what; after he came back, he had just sat and stared blankly at his walkie-talkie. He’d been like this for the past ten minutes. He wondered what had his mind so occupied. V had been playing with a Rubik cube, solving it rather easily several times; his position slowly slid from sitting against the wall to laying down, and had been sleeping up until now.

Rosé had been reading all along; Hongbin hadn’t expected her to lift her eyes from her lecture since she seemed so absorbed, but he was wrong.  She suddenly got up and walked to him. “What’s…?” “Painkillers.” _She’s… nice._ The boy hadn’t really heard more than a couple of sentences from her since they met, and her face was always kept carefully blank, but the way she gently gave him the meds (how did she notice he was hurting though? He hadn’t made a sound) made him feel more at ease.

At the sound of their captain coming in, though, everyone readied themselves. N sat next to Hongbin and the rest closed the circle. The older man went straight to the topic. “They didn’t have any relevant information… Yet. But they’ll get in contact soon enough.” “But they” started Ravi, “they were here a couple of days ago, right? How-” “My fonts know this city like the back of their hands; they’ll find out soon enough.”

 ~·~·~

_Let’s talk._

Even though Hakyeon had been the one to say it, he wasn’t sure how to proceed. _He’s impatient, impulsive and fierce,_ had said Major Jung; _be careful._ They had been standing in the hall way for a while now; Ravi’s eyes were fixed on the streets outside. How could he- “How much did he tell you?”

“Uh?” was the captain’s intelligent answer. The other guy’s eyes were still fixed on the outside as he spoke. “Leo. Am I wrong?” “… Not completely.” “Well then, shoot.” Hakyeon deviated his eyes, choosing to look in the same direction as his subordinate. “Taek- Major Jung… Why do you always call him Leo? How did you know his code name?” “I gave him that name… A long time ago.” “Why?” “Because he called me Ravi.”

_-·-·- Flashback (17 years later)-·-·-_

_“Then I won’t tell you either.”_

_The boy seemed to reach his limit and sat down. “I won’t tell you my name.” “But- I told you.” Ravi sat down in front of him, sighing. “I really…” They stayed in silence for a while, Ravi hiding his face between his knees. “What should I call you, then?” he finally asked._

_“Whatever you want.” Came the soft answer. He raised his head, surprised; the boy turned his head just as fast, but the faint blush spreading through his cheeks proved he knew he’d been caught. “Really…?” “Sure.”_

_Ravi stared at him intently. “What is it?” despite his annoyed tone, the boy’s face reddened even worse, reaching to his ears. “Leo.” The other peeked at him, still not turning his head. “Why?” “Just… Because.” It was now Ravi’s turn to blush._

_“Hey…!”_

_“What?”_

_“Tell me why…!”_

_“Why?”_

_“Because I want to know…”_

_“Then… Tell me your name!”_

_“…”_

_-·-·-End of flashback-·-·-_

The phone rang as soon as they stepped back into the room. The captain answered while everyone looked at him. The number was unknown. Would they finally be able to start working?

“Hi?” “It’s Dowoon. Sungjin-hyung told me everything.” “What did you get?” Silence. Some rustle. “Three days ago… This vehicle came through the north route. The guys there didn’t pay it too much attention since they said they came from you guys, but… I looked into it now, and something is weird.” “When you say “from you” …” Hakyeon asked, “who is it?” “He only said he’d been sent from the headquarters… But” continued Dowoon; more paper rustling, “What’s really strange is what he requested.” “What was it?” Hakyeon’s eyes strayed to Ravi as the other answered. It made Ravi instantly nervous. What was he saying?

“Okay… Thank you.” He hung up.

“What…”

“We’re going to the south.” Hakyeon started searching around the cabinets. “Get Bean up. Pack anything useful. We’re leaving in thirty minutes.”

_-·-·-Meanwhile-·-·-_

_Taekwoon was in his office, working. His hands grabbed papers, his eyes scanned the words on them, and they were signed and/or separated according to its content. His mind, however, was far away._

_“I missed you, too.” How could he have known? Even after all this time, Ravi… Wonsik knew him better than anyone. Always had, probably always would._

_A new stack of papers. For how small it was, compared to others, this base sure carried out a lot of missions. “Special operations my-” a knock on the door. Who could it be, this late at night? They didn’t wait for his answer to come in. And as soon as they did, Taekwoon could feel his sweat running cold. It was CL._

_She was one of the base’s higher ups, only second to Commander Kwon himself. Her aura was so immensely powerful no one ever dared to contradict or disrespect her. No one was that stupid. It was common knowledge that half of the base (men and women alike) had or had had a crush on her. It was also said that if it wasn’t for the imposed system, she might have become the base’s commander. And at the moment, she was, regardless what the official documents said._

_“If she’s here, something big must have happened…” he thought._

_“Major Jung Taekwoon.” She said. And with those few words, he knew it. He was done for. “I need to talk to talk with you. Come with me, right now.”_


	3. Infiltration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!! I'm sorry thatit took so long, but I'm finally satisfied with it after a major block so I hope you like it... <3

_-·-·-Three days later; somewhere in Daegu province-·-·-_

_“How is the experiment going?” That voice always gave him goosebumps; it was so dark and cold… He swallowed hard. “The latest tests had very positive results. We should be able to start the last phase tonight.” “Excellent…”_

_The took a deep breath. “The symptoms on the human subjects are getting worse though… I’m not sure they will resist-” The voice was merciless. “I’ll give you more material soon; work with these until then. Did the last one react yet?” “No, sir.” “Get rid of her then. And start the testing as soon as possible. They’re coming.”_

_-·-·-_

The complex of buildings looked abandoned from the outside; but if all the clues (scarce and vague as they had sometimes been) were correct, that was the place where the commander was. Where _Ken_ was. Ravi itched to get into action, but he couldn’t. Not yet. So he waited, watching over the construction for any sign of activity.

A week had passed. A whole week. But they were finally there.

“Isn’t it cold here?” Hongbin sat carefully next to him. “We should go in…” “Why did you come then? You should be resting.” Both of them stayed in silence for a while, watching the scenery. Aside from the abandoned factory/warehouse where illegal activities where taking place and their commander and a comrade might be held hostage in, it was rather beautiful. The colours of the sunset stained the night sky, and the stars were starting to appear, blinking; it was a moonless night. Ravi caught Hongbin staring. “What is it?”

His cheeks reddened and he looked away. “Nothing…” “...” The silence came back, but the boy’s nervousness and doubt filled the air. “It’s… Stupid.” “Why?” “Because… I was just- It doesn’t matter, really. Forget it.” “You can’t say that… I want to know now.” Silence. “Come on, I’m sure it’s not stupid.” Hongbin sighed. “What’s your name?”

He stayed silent for a moment; the boy covered his eyes with his hands, sighing, and Ravi knew he had to say something. “It’s Ra-” “That’s just a codename! Like Bean, N…” He took a deep breath. “I shouldn’t have said anything… Sorry.” “Don’t apologise… I’m sorry I can’t-” “But why? It doesn’t make sense-”

“Because you’re carnage. That’s why.”

~·~·~

Hongbin turned to see V sitting behind him. How long had he been there? “What do you mean?” “If the mission were to go south (say, we get ambushed now), what would the captain’s orders be?” The boy went to answer, but V beat him to it. “Me and him”, said pointing at himself and Ravi, “or Rosé, would be sent off ahead, with all the important data. He’d probably stay behind, to buy time. Maybe one of us would be charged to help you since you’re hurt. But, do you know what this means?”

Hongbin didn’t want to know. “We are stronger, more resistant, so we continue the mission. The captain sacrifices himself… And probably you, too.” “But-” “V-” intervened Ravi, but the boy didn’t listen. “If you’re ever captured, what do you even know? Not even your teammates’ names. Meanwhile, I get more reinforcements and complete the mission. That’s all that matters...”

“All this just makes it easier. To leave you. How can you have a close relation with someone who’s name you can’t know? Everything is a secret-” “What did you come here for?” Ravi’s voice was still calm, but something threatening hid behind his words. The tension was so high Hongbin thought he was going to be crushed by it. _What the hell…?_

“The captain was calling you. We’re going in soon.”

As soon as V was out of hearing range, Ravi placed his hands on Hongbin’s shoulders, softly. “I don’t know what was that about, but we’re teammates no matter what, right?” “Yeah…” the boy smiled, hoping it didn’t look as fake as he felt it.

“I’d never leave you behind.”

~·~·~

As soon as they came back to the makeshift camp, Hakyeon noticed. Something happened out there… specially Ravi, he looked three times more tense than when he asked to be on watch. As if it wasn’t hard enough to make a made-on-the-spot team like that work. The leader decided to leave it for now; they had too much to prepare... The team gathered quietly around him.

“Okay. This” he showed the image in the screen of Hongbin’s computer, “is a satellite image of the factory. The vigilance seems quite relaxed… Except here.” He switched to the building’s plans. “Looking at this” he continued, “you can see some structures at the back have been added or modified. We’ll start there.”

The plan, theoretically, was very simple. Get in, find Ken (and commander Kwon, if possible) before the other teams got there, and get out. They’d be there at any moment now… Hakyeon didn’t think they managed to get any advantage despite their fast work. But the thing that worried him the most was the lack of material they had. Having left in a rush like that… They’d have to improvise on the spot. He smiled at himself. _Awesome._

“Um… Captain?” “Yes? Let’s get ready… We’ll start when the sun sets.”

~·~·~

_“They’re probably expecting an attack by now… So we should be careful.”_

Surprisingly, the door was only guarded by two guards. One of them was falling asleep against the wall, and the other looked extremely bored. Hongbin took the computer from his bag and the team watched as his fingers flew across the keyboard. “I’m in.”

It was something to witness, his eyes scanning the screen, thousands of windows, and opening or discarding them in seconds. “The cameras…” “There’s only one here” he continued typing. “I’ve neutralised it, but” a red screen appeared in a flash “they’ll notice if” another screen; Hongbin typed something and it went away, too “I leave it like this for t- Fuck.” Another flashing red screen appeared and he started typing at light speed.

“Seems like it’s gonna take a while…” N looked at the guards; they were far enough not to hear or see them, but for how long…? “Go.” He looked at the hacker and shrugged. _If he says so…_ “And the guards?”

“Leave them to me.” Before anyone could react, Hakyeon tossed his vest to V and walked around the corner towards the two man. The bored one noticed him right away. “Hey, you! Stop right there!” The captain, however, continued walking. Ravi tried to stop him, but someone held him before he could move. Hongbin was smirking, eyes still glued to his computer, and Ravi couldn’t help but notice his cute dimples. _Stop it, you._ He turned again at the captain’s words.

Somehow, N had managed to stand in front of the guards without getting shoot. “I guess you won’t tell me if I’m in the right place? But I’d say-” “You better get the fuck out of here or-”

And suddenly, he snapped. There was no other way to describe it. One second he was standing there, hands slightly up in surrender, and the next the guard was kicked in the head with enough force to be sent flying to the ground. The other guard finally snapped and went for his radio, but before he could use it, the captain had him pinned to the wall. He smacked the device off his hand and neck-chopped him- with his hand, playfully. “Calling reinforcements is cheating...” He was lying unconscious in front of him the next moment. All that, in less than a minute.

V ran up to him immediately; Ravi would’ve said he was like a kid after watching a magic show. Rosé stood frozen for a moment, a completely new, bewildered expression in her face. And she looked cute. Only when Bean pulled his arm, though, did he realise that he was the only one staying back. “He is a little crazy sometimes” said the boy, “but he knows what he’s doing. Usually.” And Ravi stood there for a second, watching him limp towards the front door, until his words sunk in. “Wait- What the…?!”

~·~·~

The first thing Hakyeon did after getting inside was give one of the guard’s ID to Ravi. “Take it. Just in case.”

The place was most likely like it looked back when it was functioning. One nave filled with huge, old-looking machines. “I guess all the juicy stuff is underground… Okay.” The leader got to work with a clap of his hands, “V, Rosé and Bean will go to the right; Ravi and I to the left. Go!”

Before they parted, N caught Ravi sending V a glare. That could be a good moment to clear things out… As good as it could be. “What was that?” “What do you mean?” the other boy walked towards the wall, inspecting it. He sighed. “I don’t want to push you, but I need to make this work…” “There won’t be any problems. That’s-” His answer was cut when he tripped.

N kneeled down. “Call the others” he said after examining the floor. “I think we found it.”

The hall that extended under the entrance was dark and cold. It really looked like no one used it… Except it wasn’t common to find trap doors leading to secret basements in abandoned factories; and the door at the end had some rather modern security system. The leader pressed the ID against the small screen and the light turned green. They were in.

~·~·~

Ravi didn’t want to think that it was too easy… But it really was. They had yet to see any security aside from the lock in the front door. Turning left or right, there were only cement walls and empty rooms; it didn’t make sense. It was like a huge maze. They separated and found each other several times, and all the corridors looked exactly the same, with the same four grey doors on each side, all of them empty. They asked the hacker, but he shrugged, “ _There weren’t any cameras here…”_

A hand surrounded his, and only then did Ravi notice he’d been clutching his fists. Hongbin didn’t look at him, but his hand stayed a little longer before letting go as they turned another corner. He had his nails marked in blood in his palms for a moment, but they closed as soon as he saw them.

They started marking the doors and walls and soon started finding their way. Finally, they found a room that wasn’t empty. However, it wasn’t a hopeful sight.

There was a girl lying on the floor. Her eyes were open under her blonde bangs, but she didn’t react to their presence, nor to them speaking, nor even when the leader checked her pulse. It was slow, but steady.

The boy couldn’t stand to look at her. Somewhere in that base, Ken… _Don’t even think about it. He’s fine. He’s got to be…_

_-·-·-Flashback (20 years ago)-·-·-_

_She was gone._

_That was all his young mind could think of. He needed to find her; they had to be waiting for them. And they were having her favourite dish for dinner today. The kid wanted to look for her, but she had said “Don’t move”, so he couldn’t. Hours passed, but he waited faithfully. His mom would come back._

_“They won’t” said a voice. The kid turned and saw another kid, slightly older, looking at him. “What?” “Whoever you’re waiting for… They won’t come back.” He felt offended. What did that kid know about his mom, his family? “What do you know?” The other kid wasn’t affected by his words. He offered his hand. “You want to see?”_

_~·~·~_

_He was right._

_They weren’t there. Their car was gone, too._

_The other kid followed him all around, and even took him out so that they could check the parking lot. When he finally gave up and fell to the floor, sobs taking over him, shaking, the other spoke. “They were scared. They don’t understand.” He sat next to him, and rubbed his back softly. “What’s your name?”_

_“Kim W-Wonsik.”_

_“I’m Jaewhan, but you can call me hyung. From now on, I will take care of you, Wonsik. So don’t cry.”_

_“Why?”_

_“Because I’m not scared. I understand.”_

_-·-·-End of flashback-·-·-_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always forget to say this but if there's anythhing that isn't clear or you need any explanation just comment it! if i get several comments i might make an extra chapter with the missing parts/explanations!


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